“I know, but it’s already so late and—”

“Baby…” Jared pulled her into his arms, whispered something to her, and kissed her again. Brandi smiled and softened in his arms.

I turned my back to give them some privacy. It was a private moment. Yup. That was exactly why I couldn’t watch my friend soothe his cute, frazzled wife. I wasn’t jealous or anything. Not at all. Not even a little bit.

I guzzled down what was left of my beer.

“Hey, Tommy!” Brandi called out. Before I could turn around, I found Brandi’s arms around me, giving me one of her firm bear hugs. “So glad you finally came over. I’m making salmon. You like salmon, right?

“Love it,” I said, turning to face her.

She smiled, and now I understood why Jared had asked me to go with the flow. Brandi was clearly stretching herself thin, but when she gave me that big smile, Jared smiled too. I knew how it felt to want to make your woman’s load lighter, to make her smile.

Who’s making Darcy smile now?

Dinner was late, and by the time Brandi served the overcooked but well-seasoned salmon, I was halfway in the bag and ravenous enough to eat more than one helping without complaint.

The three of us cleaned the kitchen together, and then Jared and I took the last of the beers onto the back patio.

“Brandi’s not gonna join us?” I asked.

Jared glanced at me with a smirk on his face, and I knew why. Even I could hear how slurred my words were.

Beer drunk on a Thursday night. Bueno.

“Nah,” Jared said finally as he lit the fire pit. “She has the early shift again tomorrow.”

“Well, shit,” I said, preparing to stand. “I should go. You probably want to fuck your wife.”

“Relax, vaquero,” Jared said, slamming a big hand into the middle of my chest and forcing me back down into my chair. “You need to sober up a bit, then Uber home.”

I sank back into the patio chair. “Good call,” I said, kicking my feet up on the rim of the stone fire pit. “I mean…why the fuck am I rushing home anyway? Ain’t nobody there waitin’ for me.” I tipped up my beer bottle with a wry chuckle.

“Never knew that being alone was a problem for you.”

“Didn’t used to be,” I murmured under my breath.

Jared twisted in his chair and gave me a pointed look.

“What?” I asked when he’d stared at me for an awkwardly long time without saying anything.

“Are you trying to tell me something? Is there some girl you’re seeing that I don’t know about?”

“What? Nah…nah…there’s no girl. But I’m not that thing you called me by the door earlier.”

“What? A perpetual bachelor?”